The present invention relates generally to target location and, more particularly, to determining the precise location of a target on a surface.
Golf is a very popular sport but demanding in terms of the various skills that need to be applied by the individual golfer to play the sport at even the most basic level. A golfer's basic swing technique is governed by many factors including his (or her) coordination and strength, golf club selection, golf ball selection, and golf course conditions, to name just a few.
One of the most critical keys to success in golf is for the golfer to accurately determine the distance between himself and any particular point on the golf course. Each shot taken by a golfer during a golf round requires some type of distance determination in order to effectively strike the golf ball. An average eighteen (18) hole golf course has golf fairways that typically range between one hundred (100) hundred yards to over six hundred (600) yards. Therefore, the ability to determine accurate distances influences the ultimate club selection and swing made by the golfer to strike the golf ball on a desired path and towards a selected target. As such, given the mass popularity of golf and the never ending desire for golfers of all skill levels to constantly improve their games, there are many techniques and devices that a golfer may use to assist in determining these distances to improve performance, skill level and overall enjoyment.
Some of the more common techniques and devices for determining golf-related distances are course markers, course yardage books, portable devices having global positioning system (GPS) receivers and laser rangefinders. Course markers are typically found at pre-determined locations across a given golf course in the form of permanent markers fixed in the fairways of the course. Distances from such markers are usually given to the center (and, many times, front and center) of the green that is associated with a particular fairway. As such, given the coarse accuracy of these pre-determined distances, the golfer is left on his own to calculate a more exact distance for a particular golf shot under specific playing conditions.
Course yardage books are typically available at a particular golf course and provide detailed printed yardage information on a golf hole-by-hole basis and contain a picture view of each hole showing the fairway's shape, distances from the tee box to various points on a particular hole (e.g., a water hazard or bunker) and distances from fixed points on the fairway to the associated green. Despite this increased information, the golfer is still basically left on his own to determine more exact distances for a particular golf shot. Further, deciphering and utilizing such course yardage books in an efficient manner during a round of golf can be challenging for the casual golfer.
Over the past few years, portable handheld devices with GPS receivers and laser rangefinders have been quickly adopted by the golfing industry and golfers as major game improvement aids. Positions from GPS receivers can be used to compute distances to features on a golf course and have been adapted to a variety of handheld devices including, but not limited, to smartphone applications. Current commercial units include many advanced features such as preloaded (ready-to-play), worldwide golf course maps, color touchscreen displays, Bluetooth® connectivity, and digital scorecards. Golfers carry such GPS-equipped devices with them during a round and obtain real-time distance information from the units. Of course, as will be appreciated, the precision of some GPS devices is still somewhat coarse and might vary by 10 to 15 yards, which can adversely impact club selection, for example.
Laser rangefinders are manually held, distance measuring instruments that a golfer operates by focusing and pointing the unit's viewfinder cross-hairs on a desired target (e.g., a flagstick) then triggers the unit to measure the given distance. However, the accuracy of such devices depends heavily on the golfer's ability to hold the rangefinder in a steady and stable fashion in order to avoid inaccurate results.
Each of the above-described golfing aides is primarily directed at a golfer's so-called “full swing” shot taken from a teeing area or a golf fairway in order to advance the golf ball towards the green as opposed to the putting of the golf ball which occurs on the green. The information directed to, and useful for, putting in these types of aides is somewhat limited in terms of assisting a golfer in training for a particular putting stroke or executing a real-time putt during a round of golf. Interestingly, putting comprises a large percentage (e.g., 25-30 percent) of the overall number of strokes made during a standard round of golf, and a putt, in both professional golf tournaments and recreational play, can create some of the greatest drama during a round as reflected in the well-known golf adage “drive for show, putt for dough” that is often repeated by golf professionals, amateurs, spectators and broadcasters.
So, while some existing golf aides may be useful in providing general information related to putting, the golfer is still challenged with digesting the general information and effectively utilizing that information to determine how to strike a particular golf putt in a real-time fashion. Important to that real-time determination is the precise location of the golf ball on the green, the precise location of the golf cup (or hole) and the overall surface characteristics of the green, including its topography and so-called green speed.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved technique for real-time determination of the precise location of a target on the surface of a putting green, and, more particularly, a golf ball and/or golf hole on the green to enhance a golfer's putting ability and accuracy.